The enthusiasm of Mentari Group members to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia remained strong, even in the midst of a pandemic situation. The celebration to commemorate Indonesian Independence Day was held on August 17, 2020 from 08.30 to 10.20 a.m. Mentari Group members wore costumes with nuances of red and white or traditional clothes during the celebration, to show their passion and deep love for the country.
Mentari Group members participated in a number of activities, either conventional ones by applying health protocols, or virtually. These activities included the flag raising ceremony, a music video contest, a costume photo contest, and a photo of activities during the pandemic contest. Mentari Group members conducted the flag raising ceremony at the head office by following strict health protocols. Only the ceremony commander, flag- raising team, and technical team were on the ceremony field. Meanwhile, the ceremony inspector, proclamation text reader, and other ceremonial officers, along with the ceremony participants witnessed the event through an online meeting via the Zoom platform. Even though the situation was different from the previous years, the flag raising ceremony during this pandemic time remained solemn throughout the ceremony.
After the ceremony, the winners of the contests began to be announced. The first contest result announcement was the winner of the music video contest. This contest was to make a music video with a national or patriotic theme song which were submitted by each division. During the two weeks of making the music videos, the participants were not allowed to meet face to face and had to use their creativity to make the best video. The winning music video was based on the jury’s decision (Mentari Group management) was the work of the Jatabek Mentari Bookstore team. The favorite music video based on selection by Mentari Group staff members was the work of the Education Consultant of Bandung team. Watch the music video by Mentari Group members on Mentari Group YouTube!
The second contest winner announcement was a photo contest for traditional/patriotic/red and white nuanced costumes. For this contest, division representatives had to submit a photo of themselves with a specified clothing theme. As a result, the participants sent photos that were very unique, creative, and full of love for Indonesia.
The third announcement was the winner of the activity during the pandemic photo contest. This announcement was the closing event for the commemoration of Indonesian Independence Day. Mentari Group members, particularly contest participants, submitted photos showing the excitement of their activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The message echoed in the photos was to remain grateful and fill every day with creative activities.
Mentari Group members showed that they supported each other, strengthened each other, and remained creative and productive, even though they are working in restricted conditions. This was reflected in all of the activities carried out during the Indonesian Independence Day commemoration. Now, everyone still keeps their distance, but tomorrow maybe, we will be grateful for being able to get through it together.
